Blog Posts - Rodney J Owen

Wuwei Dao

6/16/2020

The Way of Wuwei is the natural state. It is not the way of inaction, but of balance achieved through right action. It is a method of realizing the perfection of the moment in which we live, the rightness of the current situation even when it doesn't feel so right. Inaction is basically impossible. Humans act. Even choosing to not act is an action. What makes an action compatible with Wuwei is acceptance, going with the flow and not fighting said situation.

The thing to understand about the natural state is that it is inherently perfect as it is. This, now, right here, is as it should be. That applies to us and our individual lives as well. Of course it often doesn't seem that way in the middle of life with bills to pay, dirty diapers, illness, snowstorms, or whatever the current challenge may be. But all of these things have a purpose as well, a purpose that is for our own good and the good of the Universe as it unfolds. What is missing is not some ideal that we imagine. What is missing is acceptance and release, going with the flow.

The root word of both Karma and Kriya is action. This is crucial in reference to Wuwei which is often interpreted as no-action. Kriya is purposeful action typically taken with the intent to come into alignment with the natural state, which is synonymous with self-realization or awakening to reality. Karma is the sum effect, or result, of our actions which serves to influence our current and future states. Karma is not some mystical system of divine retribution. It is more cause and effect. So, to achieve a state of being (which in so many ways is a state of mind) that is in alignment with the natural state we are better served if our actions are consistent with this state. At the same time our attitudes should be informed with wisdom, understanding and faith in the benevolence that is inherent in things being just as they are. Thus, Wuwei is not no-action but right-action.

Ideally, the natural state doesn't require any effort to be realized. It is already all around us and within us. However, being human has its limitations and we are forever forgetting that fact. Our default is typically not to look around and realize the perfection, or to know when to act and when to let things be. We have to constantly work on that. And that is why it is called a way, or Dao. It is a path we are forever walking. We may get better but we will always need to be aware, open minded and willing to go with the flow, change with the change. As the natural state is perfect it is, like all things, forever changing.

Real Change...Now

5/31/2020

"The law perverted! The Law--and, in its wake, all the collective forces of the nation--the law, I say, not only diverted from its proper direction, but made to pursue one entirely contrary! The law become the tool of every kind of avarice, instead of being its check! The law guilty of that very inequity which it was its mission to punish! Truly this is a serious fact, if it exists, and one to which I feel bound to call the attention of my fellow citizens....
Thus, as the force of an individual cannot lawfully touch the person, the liberty, or the property of another individual--for the same reason, the common force cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, the liberty, or the property of individuals or of classes.
For this perversion of force would be, in one case as in the other, in contradiction to our premises. For who will dare to say that force has been given to us, not to defend our rights, but to annihilate the equal rights of our brethren?"
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat, 1850.
(all punctuation his)

As I was thinking about writing this post I remembered an entry from earlier this year, right after New Years and way before COVID. In that post I expressed concern about the mental health of the planet. Without belaboring the obvious, I had no idea what was yet to come. So I will get that much out of the way right now. Who the hell knows what the rest of this year will look like?

As I write this our country burns and Coronavirus seems like an afterthought. Of course Coronavirus is not an afterthought, but just the same our country burns with good reason. On all levels, city, county, state, and federal government has had ample opportunity to address the systemic racism and double standard of our law enforcement agencies. On the other hand, considering who has been at the helm for the past 3+ years it's all quite understandable. One can't be expected to lead others if one has his own head stuck too far up the wrong end. Saying we have a leadership void in this country is not only an understatement, it is a 911 call.

I don't want protesters to vandalize and I certainly don't want anyone else to get hurt. But we have to see that protesters are not bad people looking for an opportunity to act out. They are the result of neglect, mismanagement, and tyranny. It is foolish to expect people to continue to go along with this situation. Enough is enough. One obvious solution is to ensure government employees are not immune to the law, even and especially those tasked with enforcing our laws.

In the meantime, COVID-19 is still on the prowl. We are reopening our economies, as we should, but with varying degrees of caution and restraint. Of course those protesting have thrown social distancing to the wind. That along with so many others disregarding medical concern and advice increases the risk of a resurgence. But what to do? It is extremely unlikely we will have lockdowns again, and cures and vaccines are still far on the horizon. We are going to have to live, and possibly die, with COVID-19. That is a fact of life till this changes.

So, typically, I don't know what to do other than what I always do. I will end this with a quote from that naive post I wrote in January: "In the meantime, I believe we can empower ourselves and be conduits of change by example. We can live in alternative community, right here among the insanity. Not brick and mortar communities of separation, but communities of ideas, ideals, and living examples of peace and harmony even if said community only exists in the recesses of our minds, exemplified through our actions." Be the peace you want to see, but never stop demanding justice for all.

Foundations

5/25/2020

The key to engaged living is having a strong foundation. Building one's foundation takes time, patience, and effort, also known as sadhana (intense, regular disciplined practice; progressing towards one's ultimate expression of being). A key element of Zen-Budo practice is Shugyo, interpreted as intense training. In a traditional sense Shugyo refers to a warrior or monk leaving the comfort and security of his/her family/village/zendo/dojo and venturing out to test his/her grounding in the world beyond. Contemporarily, Shugyo is often considered synonymous with sadhana. In the context of Daishin Zen-Budo, sadhana is dedicated, routine practice and Shugyo is a more intense version of this, perhaps sesshin (intense zazen meditation practice), or randori (freestyle martial practice), typically training to near the point of exhaustion. The distinction is important. Sadhana is regular, typically daily, practice. Shugyo is intense, not daily practice, but still considered on a regular basis in order to test one's limits and increase one's skill. Sadhana is the building of the foundation, Shugyo is pushing and testing the limits of the foundation.

In order to practice in the manner of Shugyo, one needs a strong, stable foundation. This is typically established through the regular practice of yoga (procedures used to strengthen and purify the physical body, clarify and nurture the energy body, and reveal and increase awareness of the spiritual body). Keep in mind, the term yoga is used here in the broadest, traditional sense. The yogi will train the body/mind on a regular basis, sometimes in retreat, often as part of a daily routine. A complete yoga practice may include aspects of Aryuveda, Qigong, yoga-asana, pranayama, Tantra, and of course, meditation. Needless to say, yoga practice is sufficient in and of itself to condition and fortify the practitioner without any other practices. For the Zen-Budo practitioner it is typically a component of training that also includes Zazen, martial arts, Zen lifestyle routines, and perhaps artistic expression (music, poetry, sculpture, calligraphy).

In this current period of quarantine and lockdown, social distancing, and virtual sangha, most practitioners are prevented from or at least limited in group practices typical of Shugyo intensity. Therefore the time is ripe for yoga. This is the time to build one's foundation, keeping in mind it may be tested unexpectedly through the many challenges, physical and/or economic that we all face in this environment. One doesn't need to sit in sesshin or spar with a partner to be challenged. Coronavirus and economic upset are enough.

A Return to Zero

5/7/2020

In Mind Training, we work to remove all that isn't essential, the things we use to identify ourselves, others, the world, mental addictions, obsessions, attachments. It is what Sri Ramana Maharshi identifies as "neti, neti". Not this, not this. In the process we strip down apparent reality to the absolute essentials. We are left with nothing but the void, our breath, the moment. All else is window dressing. This is tough training and is just not for everyone. Not everyone is ready for it, most are simply not interested. As Morpheus said, "most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it." Further, many who think they are ready for intense training later find out they aren't. We grow accustomed to our attachments, our ego dressings, our illusions. It may just be easier to live with them, even knowing they are illusion.

Enter COVID-19. In the current situation, many of us are engaged in an involuntary version of Mind Training. Take away your job, your dojo, your gym, your favorite bar, the give-and-take of social interaction and then who are you? I am sure for many this situation is unsettling just for that reason, though they may not realize it. For those who are interested, this is a perfect opportunity for deep reflection to some degree. In fact, I think it can be healthy in this situation, because as we come out of lockdown we will not be going back to the world we left. The external things we once trusted for impression management and social support may no longer be options, and will at least be very different.

There are lots of thoughts and ideas being shared right now, some postulating about the strange new world. One thing we know at this point (early May, 2020): we don't know anything. We will be working with a clean slate to create this new world that will be socially-restricted and economically deficient, at least for some time. All the better if we approach it with open minds and no-limit attitudes.

Life Lessons from a Redbird

4/30/2020

For the past month or so, I have been watching a cardinal attack its reflection in my neighbor's window and in the rear windshield of my truck. He is only protecting his territory, as he thinks the reflection is another cardinal moving in. And while I obviously understand this bird doesn't have the rational ability of a human, I still keep waiting for him to get it, to realize he is only fighting his reflection, that the other bird doesn't exist.

My wife and I were sitting on the deck watching his antics and wondering if he was going to spend the totality of his short lifespan bouncing off a window when it dawned on me that is what we all do. We spend our lives fighting illusion. Our lives are in reality not that different than this bird's. The things that concern us, that we will fight for till the end are nothing more than a reflection of inner mental gymnastics, our irrational fears, emotional card tricks, and senseless desires. And our problem, like that of my red-winged neighbor, is that we don't realize it. We think the illusions are real. And until we see them for what they are, if we ever do, we will continue to live in bondage.

Right now we are restricted by COVID-19, like it or not. Coronavirus doesn't care a wit if we like it, if we believe it is real, or if we think it is all a government plot to take our candy away. The reality is this is not a pleasant situation for most of us, for some it's the final situation on this trip around the sun. But it will in the end be a transformative situation. Fr. Richard Rohr calls it a liminal time, a transitional period typically found in rites of passage. For me, that is the only way to see this. But, I am trying to keep in mind that this time period itself and not what is to follow is the important aspect right now, as this is what is happening now. There is a blessing in all of this, not only in what is to follow but in what is happening right now. With that in mind, it is still a struggle to remember to not bounce off of windows fighting an illusion.

Thisness

4/23/2020

Sometimes we need to be reminded that the most important things are often the simplest (I do tend to forget this way too often).
"The Zen practice of just sitting, says Lewis Richmond, doesn’t help us to reach our destination. It allows us to stop having one. But how do you “go” nowhere?"

Just Sitting, Going Nowhere.

Post-Quarantine

4/22/2020

As I write these words I wonder if there will really be a post-quarantine, at least in the sense that we may not do it again. At this point, I don't think so. Quarantines, or public restrictions, may be a feature of our lives for some time to come. It is likely we may have to go on and then off, then back on again for at least a couple of years. I can understand the potential necessity of that. What I can't wrap my head around is how we are supposed to function with those constraints.

The greatest challenge with being in a lockdown situation is the ability to secure resources. Basically, everything we know about economics tells us that this current situation is not sustainable. So far, here in the US, the government has bled trillions of dollars through congressional bailouts and Federal Reserve market intervention. That is understandable and appreciated on one hand. But that money did not come from a stash somewhere. It is debt incurred on a system already deeply in debt. While even that can be understood and appreciated, the trick is in paying it back.

The basic foundation of economics is human action. If humans are not acting, they are not generating income. If they are not generating income, they can hardly pay taxes to cover the government bailouts. So until we can start doing things again, that hole will just get deeper and deeper. And that can be a major problem. A large portion of the original bailout funds for small businesses went instead to large corporations. Instead of remedying that, congress is authorizing more bailout money. At the same time, various different industries are requesting industry-specific bailouts: travel, medical, oil, etc... Apparently the federal government has unlimited capacity for giving money away. Understand, I'm not saying that people don't need help. I'm just asking the question: where does it come from?

At the same time that individuals and businesses are suffering losses, so are governments. I just saw a report that the DOT in our state is cutting back spending on road construction and repair by 75% over the next year. Income in the form of fuel taxes and speeding tickets are all but nonexistent. I also saw a report today where the US Senate is advising states to file for bankruptcy rather than asking for help from the federal government. At the very least, local and state governments will be forced to lay off large numbers of workers and may end up defaulting on pension plans. Our thinking has apparently been that governments will sustain us till we can get back to work. The problem with that is the various levels of government were never prepared for that and will be strained to the breaking point soon. All of this at a time when it is not safe to go back to work. When we do, said work will be different as well.

The post-quarantine economic world is going to be a very different place and will only be sustainable with many tough, unpleasant choices. In fact, we are going to need to reconsider practically everything we have done heretofore. Personal protection and social distancing will change everything, maybe much more than we can even imagine. As of this writing, while we are still in lockdown, the prediction is that airplanes and restaurants, for example, will have to basically remove seating to allow for proper social distancing. For operations that base their income on a certain number of seats, they will have to raise prices to stay viable. That is simple mathematics. And even that is for those who can afford to reopen or stay open at all. This new standard will obviously apply to many more operations than food and travel. It doesn't take much imagination to envision the resulting inflation across the board. That is inflation on top of increased taxes to pay back all that government has done to sustain shuttered businesses.

Going forward, the post-Corona world will require governments able to respond and apply public health measures and management much better than they have been doing--which is basically not at all. So government needs to be larger or at least much different. Perhaps we are near the end of the Pentagon Dynasty. By changing our focus from policing the world to keeping this nation safe, we could change the overall mission and maybe save lives. But that is still unlikely. Either way, government will also be much more intrusive. Very few want that, but many will allow it. To manage public health, some civil liberties will be lost. I don't like it, but I think it is a given at this point. In fact, I imagine a lot of changes in government will occur because of this virus, very few of them endearing to many of us. In the US, I imagine we are on the brink of a national healthcare system and may even be seriously considering universal basic incomes in the very near future. I don't think this is pie-in-the-sky. In fact, I can see many problems with these approaches. However, my point is not in how things should be but in how I think the likely will be.

I am not trying to make an argument for going back to work before science says it is safe. I am pondering the future world we will inhabit once we do go back--whenever that is. The sudden decrease in oil consumption has many oil and energy companies in trouble. At the same time, the actuality of COVID infections is causing massive disruptions in food distribution channels. These problems will snowball downhill to the least of us, possibly causing shortages and price inflation. A lot of the potential problems I have mentioned, and others that might actualize that I have not mentioned (or can't imagine), could have been mitigated with better management at the federal level. On the other hand, a lot of them could not have been controlled or accounted for, no matter. That also is not my point. There is plenty of blame to go around and plenty of recipients. I'm not interested in that. What I am really concerned about is the true nature of reality, the world we inhabit now and the one we will inhabit shortly. We each need to prepare mentally and strategically as best we can to prepare for it. And we need to stay aware and nimble to best navigate it once it arrives.

Personal Preparedness

4/14/2020

Well into a month of semi-isolation and we are all antsy about getting back to our normal lives. No one wants to stay locked-down, and most of us need to get back to work. However, at this point (mid-April, 2020) the potential danger has not passed enough to allow for that yet. As best as I can understand this, we are waiting for the infection rate to go down and for a vaccine to be developed. But even that scenario brings as many questions as it does answers.

Once the rate of infection goes down and we assume it is safer to go back to work, isn't there every possibility that it will start to creep back up again? I understand that the countries who have been able to manage this have extensive testing and contact-tracing protocols in place, which we do not have in the US. At least not yet. So, while I understand we will need to go back to work to survive, we will obviously do so at a tremendous risk to our health.

Once a vaccine is developed, how safe will it be? And will everyone be required to have it?
These are important questions. There are viable reasons to be wary of vaccinations, especially ones that have not stood the test of time. There will be those who will be opposed to being injected with something that for all intents and purposes is experimental. There is no way to know the long-term risks of something just developed. To that end, will those who oppose being vaccinated be forced to have it anyway? That is a viable concern, both in terms of health and individual liberty.

Of course, I'm doing a better job of asking questions here than I am of answering them. I don't have those answers. At least not yet. In any case, these are crucial concerns for all of us and we will do well to take these things seriously, sooner rather than later.

The other thing we need to consider is the possibility that this may be an on-going situation. It is possible that we might not develop a good vaccine or build a solid herd immunity, and/or that another strain may be released into the world population. Corona virus may be a fact of life as we know it for some time. Obviously not ideal, but possible.

Please understand, I am not an alarmist and I certainly don't predict any of these nasty scenarios. But at the same time, we would be foolish not to consider that. There was a time in the span of human development when science wasn't a part of existence. Plenty of people died of diseases and common illnesses that we can easily control now. So, if we were to be confronted with a virus that we can't control and that could take out a serious portion of the population, that would not be unprecedented in human history. In fact, given a broad enough timeline it would typical.

So what can we do if that is the case? The only thing we can do is to be as intentionally healthy as possible. While I recommend that anyway, under situations like these it is life-critical. This is a good time for anyone who hasn't been living an intentionally healthy lifestyle to start. It can literally be a matter of life and death.

Essential Form

4/1/2020

Those of us who have trained with Yang, Laoshi in Chen-Hunyuan 48 have probably noticed that he teaches and practices the 48 form differently than most Hunyuan practitioners. Basically, we don't have all the circles. This has been explained away as him simplifying it so as to make it easier to learn. I don't think that quite captures it.

A couple of years ago during Taiji Camp, Laoshi explained that his version of the 48 is more inline with the Chen Village Laojia, or Old Frame, and that this is the way GM Feng first taught the form in the early 80s when he formulated it and when Yang began training with him.

The idea behind the Essential 48, compared to the Refined 48, is an emphasis on Gongfu, or basic skill development, especially the Eight Energies. This makes a lot of sense if you look at the way Taiji has been taught historically. In Chen Taiji, the first form (48 for us) is the Gongfu form. Its purpose is to develop and nurture basic skills. This is fundamental to any art, especially Taijiquan. We get the opportunity to develop the extra circles, and the attending Neigong, as we learn the Er Lu, or Pao Chui form, the Sabre form, and all the various Hunyuan Gong exercises. And we should be better prepared to learn the advanced forms with a solid Gongfu foundation built through extensive development of the Essential 48 Form. To that end, the 48 form should be our primary, most-practiced, form.

A year or so ago I was listening to a podcast with a guy who is a strength coach for professional basketball players. He told a story of how when he was first getting started he had the opportunity to meet Kobe Bryant. Kobe invited him to one of his workouts. This guy arrived early to find Kobe already in the gym with his personal coach doing basic movement drills. Apparently these drills were real basic, the kind of thing one learns in middle school basketball. Afterwards, he asks Kobe why, being the best basketball player in the universe, he was still doing basic skill drills. Kobe's reply was that doing basic skill drills daily was the reason he was the best basketball player in the universe.

To illustrate what I am saying consider the following. Below is a video of Wang Feming doing the Refined 48. This is exceptional. However, notice the difference compared to how we practice.

Now consider the below video of Chen Zhenglei doing the Old Frame, or Laojia Form. Note, that while the arrangement is different (it is a different form), the energy is more inline with the way we (students of Yang, Laoshi) practice the Chen 48.

Please understand my point here is not to criticize or to advocate for practicing Taiji one way or the other. We all hopefully follow the path that is right for us. However, I do hope this clears some misunderstanding about how we practice and why. Essential doesn't mean easy or simple. It means essential. Consider that.

Polarities

3/28/2020

On the subject of good and evil in our world:

There is one power in the Universe manifesting as ten thousand things. We call this power Ultimate Reality. It is neither good nor bad in ultimate terms. Good and evil, as absolute self-existing separate entities, do not exist. Good and evil are values we assign to situations, developments, events in our lives that are still nothing more or less than the expressive aspect of the Universe in manifestation. That doesn't mean that there are not extremely bad, dangerous, and/or nasty situations. We all know good and well that there are. However, they are not evil. That is, not if we define evil as a somehow errant power opposed to and separate from Ultimate Reality.

Ultimate Reality is pure potential without any attributes or aspects. In actualization, it has an expressive aspect that creates and nourishes universes, or the Ten Thousand Things. Like all energy it has two poles, known as Yin and Yang, or Shiva and Kali, the creator and the destroyer. Inherent in the process of creation is destruction. This is always true. In our personal lives destruction may manifest as illness, death, perhaps pandemics and plagues. While these things are not desirable, they are not evil. It may be beyond our grasp in the moment, but they are ultimately necessary. The Taiji symbol indicates one unified reality with two extremely opposite qualities. Taiji is not really expressed as Yin and Yang, but Yin-Yang; one thing, with different qualities, always changing. What is Yin this morning will be Yang tonight. This too shall pass.

Our challenge in challenging times is to be patient and attentive and to try and learn from destruction. This is hard, easier said than done, but necessary all the same. In the end, the expressive aspect of Ultimate Reality, what we may know as Hunyuan or Primordial Energy, is a benevolent power that is nurturing our world. We won't ever be able to fully understand it, and the quicker we realize that and accept it the better off we are. We can, however, learn to recognize and cooperate with this power for our ultimate good. This is a specific goal of spiritual practice and something that is not only within reach, but closer than most of us realize. At the same time, it is something we are always working on, reevaluating, relearning. That's why it's called practice.

Relax. Fear not. All is well.